Baker Steinkuhler

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Apparently there are other players on the team besides Cody Green....Hmmpf....whouda thunk it.

 

Huskerextra.com

 

Steven M. Sipple: Steinkuhler becoming a workhorse on the line

 

One can imagine Dean Steinkuhler’s pride as a father Saturday night.

 

Sitting next to him in the Nebraska parents’ section — east stadium, 50-yard line, 18 rows up — was son Ty Steinkuhler, who last season was a tenacious senior defensive tackle on a resurgent Husker squad.

 

Meanwhile, big Dean’s other son, redshirt freshman Baker Steinkuhler, was enjoying a solid college debut in Nebraska’s 49-3 win against Florida Atlantic.

 

Baker, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound backup defensive tackle from Lincoln Southwest, entered the game for the third series, played about 20 snaps overall and finished with five tackles.

 

“Actually, he played better than I thought he would,” said Dean, a former Nebraska offensive lineman who in 1983 earned both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy.

 

“Ty and I watched Baker in the Spring Game, and he’s made big improvements since then,” Dean added. “He looked a lot better. A lot better.”

 

Ranked as the nation’s No. 8 overall prospect as a senior at Southwest, Baker endured a rugged start to his Nebraska career last year. A back injury and medical issue slowed his progress significantly.

 

Regarding the medical issue, “It’s an autoimmune disease that attacks his joints,” Dean said Tuesday. “He takes medicine — he’ll have to take it for the rest of his life.”

 

Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, who oversees the line, said it wasn’t until about midway through last season that Baker began “to really show up as the high school All-American that we expected.”

 

“Before that point, he’d come out for a day and look real good, and then the next day he’d be sore and wouldn’t look like the same guy,” Pelini said. “That went on for a long time. Then all of a sudden, you saw it — his athleticism. It was just a matter of the doctors doing a great job staying on his situation.”

 

Baker played on the scout team until about midseason, then started getting work with the upper units, mostly on a just-in-case basis. He’s now an integral part of Nebraska’s four-man interior defensive line rotation, his value at a premium at the moment because of fellow backup Terrence Moore’s nagging turf-toe injury.

 

Baker subbed in Saturday for both of Nebraska’s interior line starters, Ndamukong Suh (who made seven tackles) and Jared Crick (three).

 

“He’s a little clumsy yet,” Dean said of Baker. “I don’t think he has his strength where it needs to be. He’ll get stronger, and that’ll help out a lot.”

 

Baker basically is like a colt learning to make his way.

 

“But you can see he has the tools to become a horse,” Dean said.

 

Ty, who started all 13 games last season and made 48 tackles, recently was cut by the NFL’s New York Jets. Ty is more of a compact lineman, whereas Baker is three inches taller and has much more reach.

 

“As far as effort level, Baker has the same motor,” Pelini said. “It just doesn’t look the same because Baker has those big, long strides.”

 

Baker declined an interview request this week, as Ty often did as a Husker.

 

“I didn’t talk to the media very much, either, but I did talk to them (on occasion),” Dean said. “We’re just not very talkative guys.”

 

Nothing wrong with quiet production.

 

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.

[zoogs]

That medical issue doesn't sound good. Here's hoping for a long and fruitful career for Baker.

[Husker_bassist]

I saw Baker play in highschool against Fremont High in the playoffs his junior year... That kid made everyone else on the field look like children... I think he's got a good couple of years infront of him.

[Enhance]

I saw Baker play in highschool against Fremont High in the playoffs his junior year... That kid made everyone else on the field look like children... I think he's got a good couple of years infront of him.

 

Without question.

 

He is going to be a forced to be reckoned with. Young guys getting a lot of PT means a lot of years and opportunities ahead of them. I'll even go as far to say that Baker gets 2-3 sacks this year.

[Vince from ShamWOW]

give the kid a while to work on his hand placements and the rest of his form and he will be just fine.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Here's to the start of a promising career:

[admo]

Good read, thanks.

 

For a time, the big question was Offense or Defense when he got here. Glad he's on D. With those bloodlines, I'm sure he'll only get better throughout his career. Just a pup right now.

[Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red]

He's still got a ways to go. Crick is way ahead of him, but the future looks bright.

[Scarlet Overkill]

That medical issue doesn't sound good. Here's hoping for a long and fruitful career for Baker.

 

 

I have concerns about his overall health now and hope whatever that was called is something controllable and minor.

[Husker_x]

He's got a ways to go, but he's got the tools. I'd be worried if Crick went down. I don't know how great our depth is at tackle right now.